Judith Halberstam’s work, in film and literature is arguably some have the most provocative and academically influential of the times. Halberstam has explored drag, queerness, gender and queer theory, art, literature and film in a competitive manor within the academic sphere while challenging academia to take on these issues as legitimate concerns. I would argue that she has discussed one of the most independently radical feminist issues in her upcoming book What’s That Smell, in which she explores queer temporality. Although Halberstam does not appear to totally take on the ontological question of temporality, she certainly seems to be attacking it from a fresh standpoint.
Although Halberstam continues to be one of the more influential feminist theorists in academia, she is unfortunately incredibly esoteric in her writing style. Although she is apparently in the game to “play,” I am afraid that all this playing might just be perpetuating all these standards of competitive white boys in the academy. As I said above I believe she is one of the greater theorists in regards to her concepts and ideas, she is unfortunately only reaching a select few people, I would like to see her change this in the future and become more accessible if in no other way than her writing style.
Currently working on “What’s That Smell”
Posthuman Bodies: Co-edited with Ira Livingston
Female Masculinity
The Drag King Book
Trans-Modernity
“The transgender gaze in boys don’t cry” in screen Vol. 42 #3
“Oh Behave! Austin Powers and the Drag Kings” in GLQ Special issue: Men and Lesbianism,” Vol 7 #3
“The Butch Anthropologist Out in the Field” an Introduction to Margaret Mead Made Me Gay: the Collected Essays of Esther Newton
…and many, many more
http://www.egomego.com/judith/
http://egomego.com/judith/cv.htm
http://literature.ucsd.edu/faculty/jhalberstam.cfm
gttp://www.semcoop.com/detail/0822322439.htm
http://venusboyz.com/judith.html
“ It is a big question what the differences might be between male masculinity and female masculinity, and some places that are no discernable differences. For example, a transgender man, somebody who has been born female but lives now in a social role as a man, may not look on the surface any different form a man, but the fact that this person has a history in a female body makes all the difference in the world. (…) There are also very, very deep differences like the fact that female masculinity is a sort of peripheral gender, a minority gender, and does not have the weight of political power and social power behind it. Thus, male masculinity is what we call a dominant gender, female masculinity is a minority gender.” (Quote in talk with director Gabriel Baur for the film, “Venus Boyz”)